“At once,” Ridnig said. He quickly left the chamber.
Quiver’s mind had already returned to that lonely section of space called Remp, wondering why anyone would show an interest in exploring it.
◆◆◆
Trying to rearrange the work assignments for the remaining minelayers proved frustrating, and Overlord Jeftrick grew tired of the effort. He silently fumed over the loss of the Tail Whip. Not only did the Council redirect the ship, but now their communication was directly with the ship, and not through him, so he didn’t know what was going on. Without knowing how long the Tail Whip would be out of service to him, all Jeftrick could do was increase the workload on the others.
Looking up at the status board on the wall opposite his desk, Jeftrick could see the colored pin representing the Tail Whip, and how his aide had stuck it next to the buoy marker for Remp at the edge of the assignment map. Picking up an assignment request from the Overlord within the buoy monitoring chamber, he read it again. It requested sending a minelayer out to Remp to realign the buoy there.
Tossing the request aside, Jeftrick mumbled, “Talk about the right claw not knowing what the left claw is doing.” He looked up at the pin for the Tail Whip again. “Why all the secrecy? They found a small object within Remp, so what? They destroyed it. Move on so I can have my minelayer back.” Jeftrick hissed out his frustration.
Leaning back into his chair until his tail kept him from falling over, Jeftrick tried to imagine just why the Council continued to keep the Tail Whip there. Perhaps they were testing him now to see how many ships he really needed to do his job. That did sound like something the Council would do. Perhaps they did not trust the information Jeftrick had been providing on ship assignments and workloads. If that was what this delay was about, they were in for a surprise. Each remaining ship would now have to be out longer than anticipated, and that would infuriate the Overlords commanding them.
“I sure hope the Masterlords are prepared to deal with those angry Overlords when they finally return,” Jeftrick mumbled.
Leaning over his desk once more, Jeftrick went back to work on adjusting the workloads in an attempt to bring some sanity into the additional assignments each minelayer was about to receive. The sound of his aide coming into the room disrupted his train of thought. Jeftrick felt his ire rise quickly.
“Overling, I thought I told you I did not want to be disturbed,” Jeftrick said. He leaned back in his chair and hissed out his annoyance.
“Sorry, Overlord, but the Council Leader requests your presence right away.”
Jeftrick instantly felt bad for belittling the Overling. As the Overling began to back out of the chamber, Jeftrick said, “You did the right thing, Overling. You may return to your duties.”
The Overling turned and walked through the chamber opening before disappearing down the walkway. Getting up, Jeftrick also left the chamber heading for the council building. Reaching it, the front of the stone pillars always impressed him. While walking up the fifteen steps, Jeftrick glanced at each of the four massive pillars that held up the arched awning made of finely chiseled rock. The pillars contained etchings with hunting scenes involving past council members. The one that always fascinated him was the scene of the very first council leader taking down a large beast.
Shaking his head, he figured they must have grown them large back then, as the prey depicted stood twice the council leader’s height, which seemed highly unlikely. Perhaps, being the first ever council leader, he needed to be seen as bigger than life.
Entering the chamber, the echoes made by his claws striking the rock floor bounced around the high-arched entryway. Jeftrick ignored the sound. Reaching another set of steps, he took them up to the second level. At the top, he now faced the massive opening to the council chamber. The top of the arched opening depicted more chiseled hunting scenes.
Stepping forward, Jeftrick figured five Kracks standing side-by-side could have walked through that opening without touching either side. It seemed like everything dealing with the Council had to be overdone.
As he came further into the chamber, Jeftrick could see the Council Leader sitting at the center of the curved table studying something laid out in front of him. Like everything else in the building, the table looked massive. Carved from a single piece of stone, it was a work of beauty. Jeftrick had always wondered how they ever managed to get the thing into the chamber. Its weight had to be massive.
The table curved toward him, as if designed to place anyone addressing the Council into the middle of the seated Council Members. Whether it was for intimidation purposes or simply a design of choice at the time it was made, Jeftrick was not sure.
“Overlord Jeftrick, come around and join me,” Masterlord Quiver said.
“You wished to see me, Masterlord?”
“Yes, yes, I did indeed. We have a wonderful opportunity before us, and I am going to give you a very important assignment.”
Finally making it around the table to stand beside Quiver, Jeftrick looked down at the large tanned hide that lay on the tabletop. From the black markings on the hide, he could see that it contained an accurate outline of the docking station floating above the planet. The name of each ship was correctly noted in the indentations for each berth.
The sight of the hide reminded Jeftrick of the contrast that existed within the Kracks’ society. Jeftrick could access a computerized version of this very layout on his monitor back in his work chamber, and yet the Council Leader seemed to prefer having this manually drawn version. Staring at Quiver, he tried to decide if the Council Leader hated technology, or if he simply liked having something in his possession that he could touch and feel.
“Overlord, I need to get several ships out to the Remp system as quickly as possible. Overlord Ridnig is already working on the logistics to supply five ships and get them ready to depart. I need you to select Overlords to command each ship, along with commanding one of the ships yourself, as you will lead them.
“A ship has appeared in Remp, and I intend to capture it. I want you to lead the mission to subdue that ship and bring it back to Kracks for study. Overlord Sinska is already there keeping an eye on it. Whoever commands that ship does not know the Tail Whip is there, so they have not been alarmed to our presence.
“I have five ships selected for your use. The two takedown class ships Slayer and Claw Plunge, and the pursuer class ships Biting Prey and Wicked Bite. I also included the chaser ship, Tracker, in case you need to run this prey down.”
Although stunned by the news, Jeftrick tried to stay focused on the information the Masterlord provided. Leaning over the table to study the location of each ship within the space dock, Jeftrick thought over the ship selection. The takedown class ships were the largest in the fleet. Along with the multiple energy cannons, they offered eight forward rocket launchers each, and that provided him a powerful arsenal. The smaller pursuer class ships gave him more speed, but at the cost of only four rocket launchers per ship. The Tracker only had two launch tubes, but it was also the fastest ship they had. He could use it to run down the other ship if it tried to flee.
“Your selection of ships is most appropriate, Masterlord. I do not foresee any trouble with capturing the ship and bringing it back. Has Overlord Sinska been able to detect what weaponry this other ship carries?”
“No.”
“It does not really matter. I will capture that ship and bring it back to Kracks.”
“Let us not waste beats then. Overlord Sinska awaits your arrival.”
“Yes, Council Leader.”
Jeftrick turned away and headed for the chamber opening. His mind was already mulling over which Overlords to consider for command of the ships that would be under his control.
“Oh, Overlord,” Quiver said, his deep voice carrying across the chamber, stopping Jeftrick.
Turning to face the Masterlord, Jeftrick said, “Yes, Council Leader.”
“Overlord Sinska calls it a 'Prey Ship'."
“I thought so,” Quiver replied.
With a couple of outward flicks of his claws, Quiver dismissed Jeftrick.
◆◆◆
“It is an interesting design, is it not, Underlord?” Sinska said as he stood beside Bresk to observe the characteristics of the ship that now sat well within the effective range of the buoy’s data capture.
“Yes, Overlord, it is odd. It looks like they put a bunch of extra parts together and called it a ship.”
Sinska found Bresk’s analogy of the ship accurate. It did seem to be in two sections. The lower section of the ship had a rounded nose that curved back until it met with a sweeping outward section that gave it a look of solid wings like some of the night-flying birds back on Kracks. The head-on view did not give them a view of how the ship looked beyond the flared wings, but Sinska suspected it ran straight from there to the back of the ship. Where the nose and wing-looking sections came together, a bubbled section protruded upward. Within the bubble were two round holes that looked like small launch tubes. On top of the relatively flat ship sat an upper section that was more box like. It began just back from the bubble, but the current view did not allow him to see how far it continued toward the back of the ship. It seemed like someone stuck it onto the ship as an afterthought.
“What do you suppose that bubble is for?” Sinska asked.
“It looks like a weapon to me,” Bresk answered.
“Those holes look large enough to launch something out of, but I fail to see how they can load it.” Sinska puzzled over its design and true purpose.
“Perhaps the prey ship will turn sideways at some point to give us a better view.”
Nodding in agreement, Sinska said, “Perhaps.”
“I do not understand the purpose of the openings on the nose of that ship either,” Bresk said.
Shifting his eyes onto the front of the ship, Sinska studied the upper section just above the rounded nose of the ship. It seemed to pop up from the top and followed the curvature of the ship, while keeping inside its radius. He stared at the multiple square holes that were evenly spaced along the upper section. Although he could not tell for sure, he suspected they were covered in some kind of transparent material not unlike that used to make the inner doors in the launch bay for the buoys.
“They have painted odd symbols on the nose of their ship. I wonder why?” Bresk asked.
“Maybe those are the symbols for whatever language they speak,” Sinska responded.
“Maybe their crew is not much smarter than a ling and needs their ship labeled so they can find it.”
“Perhaps,” Sinska said while hissing out a little laugh.
While he observed every detail of this prey ship, Sinska still pondered over why the ship was here in the first place. From deep in the recesses of his mind a warning told him not to take this prey too lightly.
Chapter Fifteen
The light musical tone of the comm unit activating pulled Linda’s attention away from the monitor on her desk. On the jet-black surface of her desktop, an icon blinked, prompting her to answer the page. Frowning, Linda found it just one more interruption that captains everywhere had to deal with each day.
Slapping the icon, she said, “Yes?”
“Captain, we are receiving a return message from Rapatine,” Sharon’s voice answered through the speakers mounted in the ceiling.
“Very well. Have it routed to me here.”
Linda cut off the comm and waited for the message to arrive. A soft beep emitted from the speakers that coincided with the appearance of an icon that looked like an old-fashion envelope. The symbol was something that hadn’t been used in human society for many generations now. Shaking her head, she wondered why those who programmed these systems like to stick with these old symbols.
“Nostalgia, I guess,” Linda muttered while tapping the icon with her finger.
The monitor flashed a split screen view of two men, surprising her. The message was visual, and that was just not done these days. The sheer size of such a file made it time-consuming and expensive to shoot across space. Seeing it now raised some flags within her that this message was going to be something she didn’t like.
Getting over her shock of seeing the faces staring back at her, she noticed one was the company CEO, and the other was the Admiral who oversaw military fleet activity that took up a good portion of one of the spokes at the Rapitine station. She had never met the Admiral, personally, but she had seen his face on the news a few times in the past while docked. Linda figured her last communication must have drawn a lot of attention.
“Well of course it would draw some attention. It is a first contact, you idiot,” Linda said aloud, chastising herself for such a stupid thought.
A large green arrow blinked on her desktop awaiting her attention to play the message. Preparing herself, she tapped the arrow with her finger and was instantly rewarded with both images coming to life before her eyes. The CEO spoke first.
“Captain, we are surprised to hear that you suspect the probe has been deliberately destroyed. However, we are also intrigued by your discovery of an alien object. In discussing your findings with Admiral Swensen, I have concluded that it is not in your best interest to remain there…”
“Of course not, you idiot. You should have never sent me here in the first place,” Linda said, scolding the screen.
“…the Admiral is already taking steps to address your findings, and he will take over all future investigations within that system. Upon receipt of this message, you are ordered to return to Rapatine without delay.”
The CEO went quiet while Admiral Swensen talked. “Captain, we will be sending a follow-up team out to investigate this further. Should you encounter anything else prior to leaving the system, please send a message to Rapatine before entering warp. Your return jump vector has been given top priority. We have already calculated your earliest possible arrival time, and the shipping lanes will be kept open from that point until your actual arrival. You are free to enter warp immediately upon reaching the jump point without having to coordinate with Rapatine first. Of course, if you suffer a delay, you will need to send Rapatine an update of your entry time into warp, so we can adjust the timing of your arrival on this end. Godspeed, Captain.”
Both images froze as the message ended. Tapping the red X symbol that had replaced the green arrow, the message closed, and the faces faded. Linda now suffered mixed feelings. She felt anger in the orders sending her here, but also relief in being told to come home. They were now going to do what they should have done in the first place, and that was to bring in military vessels to deal with whatever is going on in this system.
Activating the comm, Linda said, “Bridge, this is the Captain, put Commander Bresee on.”
“Yes, Captain?” Sharon questioned after a slight delay.
“We are free to return to Rapatine. Turn us around and head for the jump point.”
“Yes, Captain,” Sharon said. “Also, we are working on something here that I think you will want to see.”
“Very well, I will be there shortly. Captain out.” Linda decided that Sharon had better have a good reason for calling her to the bridge.
Getting up, Linda smoothed the wrinkles from her slacks, and then worked on tucking her blouse back into her waistband. Looking longingly at her bed, she knew that getting some rest would have to wait a little longer. As she left the cabin, Linda looked forward to her return to Rapatine, and to periods of uninterrupted sleep.
“What do you have, Commander?” Linda said as she entered the bridge. While trying to keep her voice courteous and professional, she felt nothing but annoyance. She also noticed the ship wasn’t underway yet, which annoyed her even more, but she kept quiet about it.
“Captain, Marcy has discovered something odd about the message we have been in
tercepting,” Sharon said while pointing toward the communication station.
Looking at Marcy, Linda could see that she still sat at the station with that silly looking headset on. A communication specialist stood nearby, obviously at a loss over what to do while her boss held her job. Linda suspected that the specialist came up to start her shift, only to encounter Marcy and her refusal to give up the chair.
“Marcy, why are you still on my bridge?” Linda asked as she walked toward her.
“I didn’t want to leave until I had a better feel for what this message was all about.”
“Well, did you figure it out?”
When Marcy took a rapid intake of air, Linda had a feeling she was not about to get the abridged version of her report. Marcy tapped on her monitor, saying, “I’ve been tracking this message for a while now, and I noticed that it always comes from the same location, regardless of how much the planet rotates. That got me thinking that maybe it wasn’t coming from the surface of the planet, but perhaps something hovering above it. The sensors couldn’t detect any energy readings of any kind, either on the planet or above it. This had me puzzled for a while.”
“That is strange,” Linda said.
Marcy took another quick breath. “Then it dawned on me that the signal must have been bouncing off the planet’s surface, and we were only getting feedback from it. So, I used the tactical computer to calculate where the signal would have to originate from in order to create the necessary angle of deflection to reach us.” Marcy hit a prompt that produced a red line on the tactical view. “And this is what I found.”
Linda could not believe her eyes. The red line ran from the ship, down to the planet, and then right back up in a perfect V-shape. The line ended smack-dab in the middle of the object that sat in front of them.
The Chance Encounter: The Linda Eccles Series - Book One Page 12
